Accused
by kci47
Summary: Bellatrix returns to the Slytherin common room after class, only to find that she has somehow gained celebrity status. What has she done - or, more importantly, what does everyone THINK she's done? Oneshot, written for Rumours competition on HPFC.


"Good going, Bella!" Rabastan's grin was pure evil.

"Thank you," she replied haughtily, not entirely sure what he was referring to.

"I didn't know you had it in you," Rodolphus growled, his eyes roving over her appraisingly.

"Well, I hope you will not underestimate me in the future," Bellatrix responded, lifting her chin proudly. She still didn't know what had the Lestrange brothers all agog, but they were difficult to impress so she must have done something really amazing.

"Bella, is it true? Did you _really_?" Polly Parkinson sidled up to her, her eyes wide with awe and jealousy.

"Of course it's true," Bellatrix answered automatically. Polly and her brother, Patrick, were both foolish creatures. Bellatrix wasn't sure why they'd been Sorted into Slytherin at all. Brushing past all her sudden admirers, Bellatrix took the stairs into the dormitories at her usual calm pace. Once she was upstairs, however, she rushed into Narcissa's room as quickly as she could.

"Oh, Bella, there you are." Narcissa set her book and parchment aside, standing. "Please tell me it wasn't Flip, you know how she dotes on me. Any of the others would be fine, though."

"What are you talking about, Cissy? And why is everyone acting so strangely downstairs?" Bellatrix strode forward, wanting answers.

"I'm talking about—wait, you don't know?" Narcissa's eyes grew round in her face.

"Know what? That's what I'm trying to ask you! Rab said 'way to go' and Rod was ogling me more than usual and—"

"Oh, this is rich!" Narcissa clapped her hands in front of her and a gleeful smile broke out on her face. "You don't even know what you did!"

"I do a lot of things, Cissy, including hexing people who don't tell me what I want to know!" Bellatrix glared down at her younger sister, but Cissy and Andi had never been scared by her tactics.

Narcissa was hurrying towards the door, no doubt to find her friends and tell them that Bellatrix was acting dumber than a Squib. "I'm going to let you find out on your own, it's ever so much more fun that way! I'm sure _someone _will tell you."

"I doubt it, I just acted like I knew what they were on about and thanked them," Bellatrix grumbled. The only answer was a dull bang as the door swung shut behind Narcissa, however. "Bloody fantastic," Bellatrix murmured to herself.

Deciding to change out of her school robes before returning to the common room, Bellatrix made her way up to the sixth-years' dormitory and snapped her fingers for the Slytherin house elf, Pringle.

The decrepit little thing appeared immediately, but instead of his usual groveling, all he said was, "Missy Black summoned Pringle?"

Usually he practically scraped the ground as he bowed to her, and told her that he lived to do her bidding. Looking at him quizzically, Bellatrix decided he must not be feeling well. Shrugging, Bellatrix began to remove her school robes and ordered Pringle to bring her something suitable to wear. The tiny old elf disappeared and reappeared almost immediately, fresh robes in hand.

Except that they were not fresh at all. The odor from the robes assaulted her nose, and the odious pattern—black and white stripes—assaulted her eyes. There were rips and tears and—oh, gods, was that _urine_ on the back?

"What in the name of Hades have you brought me, elf?" Bellatrix snarled, backing away from the offending robe.

"Missy Black asked Pringle for something suitable, yes she did, and Pringle has brought Missy Black just that. Missy Black should be imprisoned for what she's done, that's what Pringle thinks."

Bellatrix glared at the horrid creature. "How dare you speak to me in such a manner? I am Bellatrix Black, from the Most Noble and—"

"Missy Black is a murderer!" the small elf cried, and then he threw himself to the ground and beat his head on the floor.

Bellatrix's arm, in the process of raising her wand to curse the elf, froze in midair. "What did you say?"

The elf stopped his punishment long enough to say, "A murderer! Missy Black is a murderer!" He then crawled to the armoire and began to shut his head in the door repeatedly.

"A murderer? That's preposterous. Who is it that I'm meant to have murdered, might I ask?" Bellatrix wasn't sure whether she should laugh or be insulted. No wonder everyone had been impressed with her when she'd entered the common room earlier.

Pringle removed his head from the armoire, glanced at Bellatrix, and shuffled further away from her. In a very small voice, he said, "Missy Black killed Pippy the house elf!" Then he was gone with a loud crack.

Bellatrix felt her mouth fall open, and she was glad no one was there to see it. _Her_, kill a house elf? It was ludicrous! She would never waste her energies on such an insignificant being. Why, everyone must think she was weak—

She straightened. Maybe it wasn't a bad thing to have "house elf killer" as a reputation. For all anyone knew, she was capable of much, much more. Hmm. Yes. She would play along, after all. It would certainly boost her image as a coldhearted, ruthless witch. Grinning ferally, Bellatrix dressed herself in her most rule-flaunting outfit and made her way down to the Great Hall for a dinner that she _knew _would be rife with rumors.

* * *

**A/N: Written for WeasleySeeker's Rumours competition on HPFC...I asked her for a silly rumour and she gave me "Bellatrix killed a house elf." Totally random, but fun nonetheless! I could just HEAR Bellatrix in my head, snobbily thanking everyone and acting like it was no big deal when she didn't even know what they were talking about. :)**

**I'm not JKR! **


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